Han Ximin ximhan@126.com THE use of agricultural drones is gaining popularity in China due to its clear advantages in operation efficiency, pesticide efficiency and cost. Several of the latest products on display at the China Hi-Tech Fair are driving agriculture to become more intelligent. At the Aerospace and Aviation Technology Show in Hall 2 of the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, a drone developed by Shenzhen GKXN Technologies attracted visitors with its long wings, low cost, small size and big load. “The small drone is a big helper in disease and pest control in agriculture. The drone can spray an area of 6,000 square meters in an hour on average, 50 times faster than manual operation. In addition, the drone only weighs 9.8 kg and is easily moved. Carrying 16 liters of pesticides, the drone can fly for more than 35 minutes with a fully-charged battery,” said one of the company’s employees at the fair. In Hall 9, Zhuhai Yuren Agricultural Aviation Co. Ltd. is exhibiting its big-load multi-functional agricultural drones, which can spray pesticides, apply fertilizer and sow seeds. The drone can be used to apply fertilizers to rice, wheat, vegetables, and other plants and flowers. It can also spread seeds. As it covers a large area, it can save time and labor. “This multi-functional drone is widely used in farming. It is easy to operate and a learner can grasp the skills in just one or two weeks,” according to an employee with the company named Wang. The drones are attracting the attention of foreign businessmen. Some foreign agriculture-based countries favor the drones for solving their problems of labor shortage and weakness in agricultural mechanics. The company has reached an agreement with Brazil to promote agri-drones in Mato Grosso, western Brazil. Statistics show that the sales volume of agri-drones will reach 500-600 million yuan (US$ 75.5-90.6 million) this year. As less than 2 percent of the 122 million hectares of arable land in China utilizes drones, there is huge market potential for the application of drones in the agricultural sector. Consulting firm iResearch said in a recent report that the market scale of agricultural drones in China is expected to reach 20 billion yuan by 2025, while SWS Research made a bolder prediction that the industry will reach 50 billion yuan by 2020. | 